Dry storage can increase the shelf life and convenience of biological material and its use. Lyophilization is a process for drying heat-sensitive substances, such as biological materials, by freezing the substances and then subliming the ice or other frozen solvent in a high vacuum.
It can be necessary to keep biological material free from micro-organisms and other contaminants to avoid decomposition of the material and to prevent possible infections when the material is used. Biological material can be exposed to contaminants during transportation to and from a freeze-dryer. As a result, the operating area in which freeze-drying is carried out can undergo sterilization treatment to minimize exposure of the biological material to contaminants. This adds to the labor and costs associated with freeze-drying.
Many freeze-drying processes involve placing open containers of biological material in the freeze-dryer. The containers remain open to the environment until the freeze-drying process is complete to allow a path for solvent vapor to be removed from the biological material. This practice exposes the biological material to potential contamination during the freeze-drying process. To minimize the opportunity for contamination during the freeze-drying process, the freeze-drying equipment can be sterilized using steam or chemicals before loading each new batch of biological material to be processed. This, too, adds to the labor and costs associated with freeze-drying.
Moreover, using existing systems and methods, freeze-dried biological material needs to be repackaged after being dried. This repackaging presents another opportunity to introduce contaminants into the biological material and further adds to the labor and costs associated with freeze-drying.